Top College Football Star Michael Sam Comes Out, May Become First Openly Gay NFL Player

Mr. Sam, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound senior, went on to a stellar season for Missouri, which finished 12-2 and won the Cotton Bowl. He was named a first-team all-American. He was the defensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference, widely considered the top league in college football. Teammates voted him Missouri’s most valuable player.

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Mr. Sam, 24, is projected to be chosen in the early rounds of the N.F.L. draft in May, ordinarily an invitation to a prosperous professional career. He said he decided to come out publicly now because he sensed that rumors were circulating.

“I just want to make sure I could tell my story the way I want to tell it,” said Mr. Sam, who also spoke with ESPN on Sunday. “I just want to own my truth.”

If all goes as planned we may have our first openly gay NFL player drafted in May. His huge success on the field makes it clear that any team would benefit by having him.

On coming out, Sam says:

“Once I became official to my teammates, I knew who I was,” Mr. Sam said. “I knew that I was gay. And I knew that I was Michael Sam, who’s a Mizzou football player who happens to be gay. I was so proud of myself and I just didn’t care who knew. If someone on the street would have asked me, ‘Hey, Mike, I heard you were gay; is that true?’ I would have said yes.”

No one asked.

“I guess they don’t want to ask a 6-3, 260-pound defensive lineman if he was gay or not,” Mr. Sam said. And he laughed.

Just let us know which team to start rooting for once you're drafted, Michael!

Dylan, why are you so sensitive about the private life of this athlete? I know from my experience in psychiatric work with gay, bi, str8, men and women, it is so often the case, that people who really fly off with such defensive comments and really strongly belittle a gay / bi man or woman, are so often the very ones who are dealing with their own inner conflicts about homosexuals and thus trying to hide their own gay/bi sexuality from the rest of society. Relax, Calm down, take a deep breath. What this man does in his life is HIS business, not ours. You may want to seek some counseling to deal with your anger (i.e. "throw him off the team" etc.)

I find your comment totally disgusting, bogus, lacking common decency and It would appear to all who read your comment that YOU SIR KNOW AN AWFUL LOT ABOUT THIS GUY WHO LIKES IT....... HOW WOULD YOU KNOW ALL THIS? Please just mind your business.